{"id":18907,"date":"2019-07-18T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T18:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/?p=18907"},"modified":"2019-07-22T07:01:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T14:01:53","slug":"wyze-bulbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/wyze-bulbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyze Just Keeps Getting Better – Smart Bulbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WyzeIf you\u2019ve been listening to the show for a long time, you know I\u2019m a huge fan of the company Wyze<\/a>, makers of a delightful and inexpensive security camera called Wyze Cam<\/a>. Wyze branched out a while ago to add the Wzye Motion sensor and proximity sensors called Wyze Sense<\/a> (think door\/window open\/close sensing). The theme of Wyze is to bring commodity hardware smart devices to us at incredibly low-cost but with really good software. This week they began shipping pre-orders of their new Wyze Bulbs. They\u2019ve definitely done it again.<\/p>\n

But before I tell you about the Wyze Bulbs, I want to tell you a story of one of the reasons I love this company so much.<\/p>\n

In November 2017, the internet was hit with a vulnerability called KRACK. It affected pretty much every WiFi device, but a patched router would probably keep you safe, even if your devices inside your firewall were not patched.
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\nI bought my first Wyze Cam in January of 2018 on the advice of good friend and fellow NosillaCastaway Joe La Greca. I wrote to support at Wyze to find out if they had patched their devices for the KRACK vulnerability. It was explained to me that since they buy the hardware from a commodity vendor, they don’t have a lot of influence over the hardware\/firmware in the device. The tech support person promised to keep making noise to get it fixed by their hardware vendor.<\/p>\n

I set up a schedule to bother Wyze every few months. After several times of bothering them, I found out it was the same guy writing back each time, a gentleman named Max Stoneking. Max eventually told me that I didn\u2019t have to keep pinging him, because he had a Post-It note on his monitor to remind him to let me know when KRACK got fixed. He told me he even kept the Post-In note on his monitor when they moved offices! In January of this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Max in person at CES and we chatted yet again<\/em> about KRACK.<\/p>\n

Well, I have a big announcement to make. This week I got an email from Max that I\u2019d like to read to you:<\/p>\n

\nHey!\u00a0I just got this update, we have implemented the KRACK fix as of firmware version .108 for both Pan and Wyze Cam. Have a great day!\u00a0<\/p>\n

– Max\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How awesome is that? The more I deal with Wyze, the better I like the company.<\/p>\n

About the Wyze Bulbs<\/h4>\n

Ok, with that fun story complete, let\u2019s take a look at the Wyze Bulbs. Like my Wyze Sense devices, I bought the Wyze Bulbs via their Early Access Program. We don’t get special pricing or anything, but we get early delivery and we get a special discussion forum just for those willing to buy before reviews are out. Makes me feel like one of the cool kids.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, smart bulbs have been stupid expensive. I think we paid around $100 each for the Phillips color Hue bulbs ages ago. Even today, Philips sells the Hue White bulbs in a 4-pack for $48<\/a>. In contrast, the equivalent Wyze smart bulbs are $30 for a 4-pack. That’s 38% cheaper! Wyze Bulbs are WiFi connected, and so do not require any kind of hub, while the Hue Bulbs do require a hub which is an extra expense and complexity.<\/p>\n

Wyze Bulbs are white, but you can adjust the brightness and the temperature using their app. The temperature goes from a colder, slightly blue hue to a warmer, slightly yellow tone.<\/p>\n

Setup<\/h4>\n

\"WYZE The thing that didn’t surprise me at all was how easy it was to set up a Wyze Bulb. They really come through on the promise of ease of their software. The steps are:<\/p>\n